Category Hatred and bigotry

No, Zelenskyy and Soros are not cousins

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and billionaire philanthropist George Soros are not cousins. ​The claim is "entirely false," said a spokesperson for Soros' Open Society Foundations.

A viral Facebook post falsely says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and billionaire philanthropist George Soros are related by birth ' one in a series of baseless claims about links between the two.

Soros has been at the center of many debunked claims about his connections to Ukraine, including that he wanted to run the country and that he was using the Ukraine "as a playing field to undermine (former President Donald) Trump's campaign," NBC News reported in 2019.

More recently, false claims have said that Soros admitted on television that he helped overthrow the former Ukrainian president in order to help Zelenskyy take office.

The NBC News story noted that Soros "has long been the target of conspiracy theorists about Jews controlling the world." Soros and Zelenskyy are both Jewish.

We rate the claim that Zelenskyy is a cousin of Soros Pants on Fire!

Read MoreNo, Zelenskyy and Soros are not cousins

This video shows a TikTok creator using a green screen, not a protester interrupting a TV show

An image of a woman apparently bursting onto a TV set has been shared hundreds of times in posts claiming she crashed a Ukrainian news broadcast to urge President Volodymyr Zelensky to "surrender". However, the picture was taken from a video made by a TikTok creator using a green screen. The original news broadcast shows no interruption from a protester.

Read MoreThis video shows a TikTok creator using a green screen, not a protester interrupting a TV show

Cross on Ukrainian president Zelenskyy’s shirt a symbol of the Ukraine defence ministry, not the Nazi Iron Cross – Africa Check

The photos of Zelenskyy are authentic and were taken during a video conference with the US Congress on 17 March. But the cross on his T-shirt is not the Iron Cross. It is the symbol of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and appears on the ministry's website.

Read MoreCross on Ukrainian president Zelenskyy’s shirt a symbol of the Ukraine defence ministry, not the Nazi Iron Cross – Africa Check

Zelenskyy’s shirt bears emblem of Ukraine armed forces, not Nazi cross

An Iron Cross visible on some of Zelenskyy's military green T-shirts is not a Nazi symbol. It represents the official emblem of Ukraine's armed forces and includes the country's coat of arms in the center.

The Iron Cross is a commonly used, famous German military medal. It's not a hate symbol on its own. It was turned into a Nazi symbol when the regime superimposed a swastika in the center.

Our ruling
Social media posts claim that a Nazi symbol can be seen on Zelenskyy's T-shirts.

This is wrong. The symbol visible on Zelenskyy's shirt is the official emblem of Ukraine's military and doesn't represent a Nazi Iron Cross.

We rate the claim False.

Read MoreZelenskyy’s shirt bears emblem of Ukraine armed forces, not Nazi cross

Zelensky hit by false claim about ‘Nazi T-shirt’ after US Congress meeting

Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual meeting with US Congress, social media posts shared hundreds of times claimed he was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a "Nazi symbol". In fact, the symbol represents the Ukrainian military, according to an image comparison. A representative for the Ukrainian embassy in Thailand said it did not relate to Nazism.

Read MoreZelensky hit by false claim about ‘Nazi T-shirt’ after US Congress meeting

Photos of Nazi symbols in Ukraine are shared out of context – Truth or Fake

Several videos and photos are circulating online, lending credibility to Russian claims of a serious neo-Nazi problem in Ukraine. The problem here though is that the images and videos are a distortion of reality and, in some cases, completely fictional. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Read MorePhotos of Nazi symbols in Ukraine are shared out of context – Truth or Fake

Altered photo shows Ukrainian president holding jersey with swastika

Social media posts feature a picture of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holding a soccer jersey that has a swastika in place of a number. But AFP found that the posts used a digitally manipulated image superimposing the Nazi symbol on a photo taken from the leader's Instagram account.

Read MoreAltered photo shows Ukrainian president holding jersey with swastika

Rothschild & Co. Has Office in Russia, Contrary to Conspiracy Claim on Social Media

Rothschild & Co. has an office in Moscow and has been operating in Russia since the mid-1990s. Yet posts on social media falsely claim that Russia has barred the Rothschild banking family from doing business in the country. The claim is an adaptation of an old conspiracy theory about the family.

Read MoreRothschild & Co. Has Office in Russia, Contrary to Conspiracy Claim on Social Media